


the other kind of teddy

by Cerberusia



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Stuffed Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-25
Updated: 2013-03-25
Packaged: 2017-12-06 12:36:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/735757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerberusia/pseuds/Cerberusia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cosette has a cuddly toy collection; contrary to expectations, Eponine is charmed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the other kind of teddy

**Author's Note:**

> For a kink meme prompt which requested _Modern AU. E/C. Cosette has a really impressive stuffed animal collection, and can't sleep without cuddling one. She thinks Eponine will make fun of her but she doesn't._  
>  Bonus for bringing up that once upon a time Cosette wasn't allowed to have any toys and that is why she loves them so much now. And Eponine feels awful for once contributing to that in any way.  
> Also bonus for all of Cosette's stuffed animals having names and personalities that she explains to Eponine.

Every time they go to London, they have to go into Hamley's. Eponine doesn't even roll her eyes: she knows how it upsets Cosette when she derides her interests as 'childish'. Besides, it'd only be for show - there's still something magical to her about a huge toystore. Everything from dolls to plastic dinosaurs - and, mostly importantly for Cosette, cuddly toys.

This time, she seems to know what she's looking for: she makes straight for the shelves of the wildlife section and moves swiftly along them until she sights her prize - a big, stuffed lion. She picks up the smaller size first and gives it a testing squeeze; Eponine knows she wants a certain level of firmness in her toys, and it doesn't look like the lion meets it. She frowns, then puts it back and reaches up a shelf (standing on her tiptoes and straining) to take down the bigger size. This one she seems much more satisfied with, squeezing it to her chest and burying her face in its mane.

"What's his name?" asks Eponine, weaving her way around free-standing displays to reach her girlfriend.

"Leonardo, apparently." Cosette holds the lion out at arms length and looks into his glassy eyes consideringly. "It suits him, so I think I'll keep it." Eponine strokes the top of the lion's head with a finger: soft as all Hamley's toys are. She got to have toys when they were growing up, which is more than Cosette did until she got adopted and whisked off to the life she deserved, but they weren't as nice as this.

That night, Cosette curls up in their bed in a floaty nightie and thick bedsocks with Leonardo in her arms. To an outsider it would probably look like some kind of ageplay fetish thing, but that's just the way Cosette is and Eponine quite likes feeling protective of her cute, sweet girlfriend - not that Cosette is totally incapable of defending herself after those martial arts classes her Papa made her take, and emotionally she takes care of Eponine as much as Eponine takes care of her, but Eponine likes the feeling they're subverting gender roles anyway.

When Eponine had re-entered Cosette's life (largely by accident), the toy collection hadn't exactly been a shock - from what little she'd seen of this older, happier Cosette, dressed in soft fabrics and florals, she seemed the type to like a cuddly toy or two. Twenty were a bit more unexpected, but just as she'd carefully resisted seeming impressed with the beautiful flat, Eponine had kept her expression neutral as she took in the assorted animals lined up on the windowsill and on top of the wardrobe.

"Cute," she observed. "They got names?"

"Yes," said Cosette, watching her a little warily. "That's Vivian." She pointed at a fox with a huge bushy tail. "The tiger's called Raj - the orange one, I mean: the white one's Aten. The panther's Cleopatra and the owl's Horus. The lynx is called Bastet." She stopped, self-conscious. "I, um, was really into Ancient Egypt when I got them. Still am, actually."

Eponine nodded, eyes still on the toys. "And the dalmation?"

"Oh, that's Spot." Cosette laughed, sounding a little embarrassed. "He's the oldest: I got him when I was eight, so I wasn't very creative with names."

Eponine gave a small shrug, though not a dismissive one. "Cool."

And that was that.

**Author's Note:**

> Credit where credit's due, Raj and Aten are both mine IRL; I do have a panther, but his name's Slash (yes, like that) and Vivian was a present for a friend who was sadly sold out by the time I thought to go back and buy one for myself. They're all from Hamley's, who do in fact sell a Leonardo the lion (which I intend to buy the medium size of when I next go down, because the squishiness in the hind end of the smallest version is something I've observed for myself). Basically, this prompt spoke to me XD


End file.
